About the winery

The 12th century has seen the birth of Château of Saumane de Vaucluse which was transformed into a veritable bastion in the 15th century. This stunning building towers over the village, the Sorgues plain, Luberon and Alpilles in the distance. Its mazelike architecture was added to during various periods and secret corridors and dungeons were discov- ered which surely sparked the young Marquis de Sade’s imagination.

As the Château belonged to his father, Lord of Saumane and Mazan, the Marquis de Sade lived in this impressive edifice from the age of 5 to 10. The Château was given to the Sade Family by the Pope in 1450 and remained in the Family until 1868, when it was sold to the Mayor of Sau- mane then bought by the Croset Family in 1872. Vaucluse council bought it in 1982 and entrusted it to the Communauté de Communes du Pays des Sorgues.

The Château has many fascinating parts : a dining room with a twin calotte-shaped vaulted ceiling whose acoustics are such that a person standing in one corner can hear what someone in the opposite corner is whispering. According to an agreement between Monsieur de Sade and his farmer, Mass on Saturdays and midnight Mass were taken in the untouched little Sainte Rose Chapel.

The château’s Orangerais is adorned with sculpted lion’s heads. The building is still stunning despite undergoing renovation on several occasions to suit the period and the lords’ wishes. It still has its medieval soul, Renaissance charm and 18th century imagination.